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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28650084">Get Behind Me Satan - For ChromeMist</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtropaBelladonna/pseuds/AtropaBelladonna'>AtropaBelladonna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:41:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28650084</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtropaBelladonna/pseuds/AtropaBelladonna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean is a kelpie, Marco is a witch. Both are magical, both are running from a fundamentalist religion called the Magisterium which is taking their country by force. They have to run, they have to escape... </p><p>Jean's tired of running, Marco wants to flee from danger. They've found paradise, now they have to defend it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>JeanMarco Gift Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Get Behind Me Satan - For ChromeMist</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That's all there was... He was always found out. He was a good witch, a white witch... He wondered the world for somewhere his practices weren't shunned, but the Magisterium's influence was like a cancer upon human society. Magic was an "abomination" to the Authority's world and all who practiced it would burn in the fires of hell. Rich old white men gaining power and money in volumes their limited little minds couldn't handle.  He was more of a grey witch now. He hadn't wanted to poison the witchfinder general but he came too close to a truth that would leave Marco engulfed in fire.</p><p>He had to cross the water. That was dangerous, but it was better to drown than to burn. "They're coming, aren't they?" The humanoid arising from the water was beautiful, but a little strange... He seemed almost equine to the witch, but the ears were disappearing. "I wish you hadn't brought them here, the smell gets quite intolerable." Jean sighed irritably. "Go hide in that bush, I'll deal with your pursuers." The kelpie instructed the witch who nodded eagerly, Marco settling in the raspberries and picking a few. Not quite ripe, still rather tart and sharp but it would make excellent conserve for the winter.</p><p>Marco dreamed for a moment, his mother's hot sponge puddings with lashings of custard. Her remedies, her tender words... That all seemed so long ago now, it made him a little sad remembering it in such detail. He missed her terribly, father died in agony. He betrayed her secret, the secret of magic to the Magisterium for gold and sainthood. He hoped Heaven was everything he wanted because that evil, vile traitor hadn't been long for this world, wrong time of year.</p><p>Atropa Belladonna, better known as the Deadly Nightshade. Marco used it in small quantities for heart complaints, but he "accidentally" added too much to his drunkard of a father's beer and watched him keel over, quite dead and unmoving. Nobody suspected him, even when he vanished into the ether, the darkest midnight his cloak to escape their false justice. He now made a modest living selling herbal remidies and undoing curses, perhaps a man had shunned a black witch and now his prize pig was lame and needed his help.</p><p>The light in the distance was getting brighter, the chanting getting louder. Burn the witch, sacrifice the heathen to the Authority. Jean was prepared, the water drops glistening on his pale skin like he had been bathed in diamonds. "Where is it, foul creature?! Tell me or I shall run you through with this pitchfork!" Farmer Edmundson shouted at Jean who looked imperiously at the angry villagers, their torches ablaze and weapons raised. Not exactly something he couldn't deal with.</p><p>The kelpie began to do the strangest thing... It sang. It's voice was a haunting melody, a lullaby crafted from pure darkness that entranced the hapless villagers, their faith and their fire no match for the bewitching song Jean sang as he swam back in the water, they began to walk towards the edge, eyes transfixed and pupils blown.</p><p>They walked into the water, their woolen clothes becoming sodden and so much heavier. Once all of them were in, the charm was broken and the pleas for help came, scrambling upon the muddy riverbank to try and escape their imminent deaths. Their cries fell silent and the valley's peace was broken by a cold, harsh laugh from the kelpie. "Was that satisfying, little witch?" Jean asked, tossing his fair hair back which hung over his shoulders, his alabaster skin almost ethereal in the moonlight, illuminated by fireflies.</p><p>"They just... Fell in." Marco stated, quite transfixed. "The song of a kelpie bewitches the minds of the weak and the hearts of the worthless... Alas, I shall have to find a new pool to reside in for a few weeks, at least until this lot have ceased their... decomposition." Jean's nose wrinkled in disgust at the last word. "I think you could be useful in that endeavour of mine considering I saved you from becoming a pile of ashy bones on a bonfire." The kelpie added, strutting along the riverbank before slipping and falling in.</p><p>Marco couldn't help himself but laugh at the sight of it, all that elegance and poise interrupted by a simple loss of traction and gravity. "Stop it, it's not that funny..." Jean whimpered, a small smile on his lips regardless before bursting out with his own laughter. "Do you have a name?" Marco asked, packing up his things and dusting off the last few raspberry leaves.</p><p>"My real name isn't pronouncable in your human tongue... But I go by Jean, as good a name as any other." He shrugged, tossing his hair again. "I'm Marco... Local witch and anti-Magisterium enthusiast." Walking back along the riverbank, they began their search for a new home. It didn't stop Jean turning into his horse form, but he insisted that Marco couldn't ride him yet, as it would be "dishonourable".</p><p>Shame, that looked rather fun. He was sort of... golden in colour and pretty short, but he ran like the wind. The actual horses didn't notice a difference, it lead to a slight wrestling competition in the field when as a joke, Marco offered the kelpie some grass in his human form which caused Jean to snort again, his nose wrinkling in that cute little way as he did so.</p><p>"So... What's kelpie society like?" Marco asked, gazing into the stars as if they might answer his questions. "Not that different from human society. Smaller families though, and we tend to live in water than land. Sometimes it's grass, sometimes it's fish... Our diets are hardly what you'd call varied to be perfectly honest, not that anyone cared until man started trying to tame us. Some allow themselves to be shackled for oats or this new "sugar" they've discovered, the filthy outcasts." He stated contemptuously.</p><p>"So I guess those who join the humans aren't popular?" The witch pondered, his curiosity still burning like the sun. "We have a form of magic, the power to shapeshift and yet they abandon our society to pull millstones and food for the dirty little primitives trying to wipe us out with their religion and their faith? They don't deserve the gifts they've got. We call them Efri'kai, the waterless." Elaborating, Jean tossed his hair back. "What of your witches? How do you function since humans no longer tolerate magic?"</p><p>"Sometimes we form covens in the woods, but it's difficult. The white witches, those who heal don't really get on with black witches, those who use their power against the humans to harm... I'm somewhere in between, I've had to defend myself in the past but I dislike doing it to be perfectly honest. I just want a quiet life away from it all." The dark-haired male admitted, something dreamy floating by in his eyes, a desire for escapism.</p><p>"That rather makes both of us... I don't want to sound superior but I rather detest the company of other kelpies, the arrogance and unfiltered gallons of testosterone makes fights rather common and I simply do not have time for such nonsense." Jean admitted, his shoulder-length golden hair splayed around him like a halo. Even though to Marco, he looked like an angel already...</p><p>"If that makes both of us, perhaps it would be easier sticking together? You can get rid of the humans, I can heal you... That cut on your leg looks kind of nasty, it needs treating." Grabbing his medicine bag, Jean winced. "Sure, that works. You still can't ride me." He snickered, Marco furrowing his fuzzy eyebrows together as he worked.</p><p>"There, no infections. That'd be bad." He giggled, pulling the blanket over both of them, it smelled like home, all those rich spices and curries... "Strange custom, what do you do under this?" Jean asked, kicking at the material. "You just... go to sleep. It's supposed to keep you warm." The witch elaborated tiredly, dropping off.</p><p>Neither of them seemed to notice or perhaps they didn't care that they ended up snuggling together a little, it was just the cold after all... right? Perhaps there was something more to be found, but neither were quite yet ready to discover that. </p><p>The morning brought the dawn chorus and plans to move on, find a human settlement beyond the ever-expanding reach of the Magisterium. "You think it can be done?" Marco asked, a touch skeptical as he pulled on his clothes. "They aren't as all powerful as they'd have you believe, some of your people fought back and won, banished their forces and burnt their churches to the earth." Jean explained, shapeshifting into his horse form. "You can ride me to expedite the journey, but this isn't going to be a common ocurrence and you'll be the one carrying stuff. I'm not a pack mule." The kelpie stated, pawing at the ground.</p><p>Hearing Jean's voice come out of the horse's mouth was rather surreal and slightly strange for Marco but he made no complaint as he got on top of Jean's back with some difficulty, still not very good at this as he held on tight, being careful not to pull on the kelpie's mane or accidentally choke him. The world became a blur, they stopped at drinking holes but the trek seemed endless. Safe harbour had to exist somewhere, there had to be sanctuary.</p><p>The small town of Maria wasn't very noticed for a reason. The villagers made themselves unnoticed by the Magisterium, they carefully hid their pagan practices from inspectors but the local lore was steeped in tales of witchcraft and magical creatures, the red-footed toad that could swallow a man whole...</p><p>Perhaps this would be a good place to rest for a while, if Maria kept off the radar and out of the expansion perimeter they might be able to live here for quite a while. Setting up a tent in the woods so they could scout the town safely, the canvas could get quite cozy. "I'll admit... I wasn't too keen on living away from the water. But the river a mile or two away will do." Jean admitted, rarely shifting into his horse form anymore. "I'm still a little worried, the community has accepted us but they have good reason to be skeptical and wary of strangers... I'm not sure how we can afford housing, I'm saving every penny I earn but bread still needs to be on the table or we'll surely starve and-</p><p>Marco's fretting and worrying was silenced by a sudden kiss from the blonde. "Hush... We'll work something out. And if it's money, I can always go... get some work." Jean had been reluctant to get a job, to really immerse himself in human culture but if this arrangement was to work long-term, they'd have to pull their weight together.</p><p>2 months had passed, they finally had enough monthly income to rent an actual room at the Red Dragon in Maria, a small inn where Mrs. Yeager kept feeding Jean up, thinking he was going to be deathly ill being that thin come Winter. As much as Jean secretly protested, he found it nonetheless touching. Marco's medicine was able to stop a plague before it started, he refused to charge for it despite Jean saying that they needed the money this would bring in.</p><p>This got them a house as a thank you for their kindness. It was a small, brick-built cottage with a little artifical stream from the river, it wasn't much but to Jean and Marco, it was perfect. Domestic life wasn't bliss and they still had the odd argument, but for 5 years they were safe. Their relationship developed, the people of the town always talked about "Jean and Marco" as if they were a couple.</p><p>"W-We're not really a couple..." Jean admitted. "Then why do you keep kissing me?" Marco smirked as he folded laundry and put it away in the cupboard. "To shut you up when you ramble, i-idiot..." Jean reprimanded but he was still blushing. "Sure, and all those times in bed?" Marco laughed, making Jean's cheeks go a darker shade of scarlet. "Just focus on the damn laundry, I'm baking bread." He huffed, tossing his hair.</p><p>"And you do it perfectly." Marco added when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Mayor Leonhart, what is it?" He asked, concerned. "Marco... We have need of your magic. Your partner too... The day we feared is upon us, the Magisterium have arrived. I know you're predominantely a white witch, but I hope you might have some experience with the Black Arts to drive them back." Leonhart asked, looking fearful and desperate.</p><p>"Of course we'll help." Jean said quickly, instantly defensive. "Thank you... I'll see you in the town square in 5 minutes." Leonhart left quickly, hands shaking still. "We really have to fight, don't we?" Marco asked, the fear was plain to see in his eyes. "I'm tired of running, Marco. Tired of running from their religion and their fear. Maria is our home, this house is our sanctuary. It's about time we had somewhere to belong and it's past time that we did something to protect it." Jean elaborated as they walked to the town centre.</p><p>The plan was well-detailed, but the Magisterium had brought heavy armaments and holy warriors. Their Scarlet Cross Banner hung upon the horizon, an omen of oblivion. "The town of Maria now belongs to the Magisterium. Surrender your sinners and give up your pagan beliefs or we will respond by purging the heretics." The voice boomed through the primitive loudspeaker. Marco began his spells, the fountain erupted into life as Jean made the water changed and shift, an army of horses galloping forth in the current.</p><p>The bombadiers explosives did nothing to the horses, for they merely reformed from the water as Marco called upon the thunder and the rain and the frozen winds of the North. The sky turned dark and the lightning cracked, setting several Magesterium banners on fire. The fighting went well into the night, as the High War Priest descended in his armor and warhammer.</p><p>Raising the terrible weapon overhead, the man screeched. "Begone, foul devil!" Jean tackled Marco out of the way, fury blazing in his eyes. "Get behind me!" He whispered to Marco, turning into his horse form and charging the man, bucking his armor and buckling the plate with a powerful kick before trampling on the downed man, cracking his skull with a good stomp to the head.</p><p>"Why... Jean, you could have been killed. You're hurt..." Marco cried, getting up out of the mud and watching him shapeshift back into his human form as the remaining forces who hadn't been fried, drowned, trampled or shot with arrows through varying joints ran for their lives, terrified of the magic. "Because I love you, you stupid idiot. I'm not good with all this feeling crap but as the asshole with the penis subsititute hammer loomed over you, I realized it was you... You're the reason I stayed." Jean admitted.</p><p>"I- Marco was silenced again by another deep kiss. "Shh... You don't have to say it. You've never really needed to say it." Jean replied, picking something from the bush. "Wild raspberries?" Marco asked before it was popped into his mouth with a cheeky grin from the kelpie. "Kinda reminds me of when we first met." Jean laughed.</p>
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